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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23828971">The Part-Time Puppeteer</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Erekio/pseuds/Erekio'>Erekio</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>A Hat in Time (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, I'm going to improvise a lot on the story I think, Puppet AU, Some angst, This will be my first time writing SO MUCH FLUFF AND SLICE OF LIFE, lots of fluff, wish me luck on that</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 17:08:40</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>11,668</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23828971</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Erekio/pseuds/Erekio</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Based on Fedoraspooky's Puppet AU.</p><p>Lukas is a student in need of money. He manages to find a job in a famous television studio as a stagehand. However, his situation changes greatly when the directors give him one of the main roles of a new TV show for children. Lukas has to fit into this new and unknown world, meeting all the other actors, all while dealing with his student life.<br/>What could possibly go wrong?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>55</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>189</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. “What the absolute fuck?”</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hello everyone! I hope you're all well and safe in this very hard period.<br/>I had started this fanfiction for a while and I figured that posting it might help to make me write more. I work a lot with motivation/encouragement, so posting it might be one of the best ways to motivate myself.</p><p>Anyway, I hope you'll like this story! :D<br/>Don't hesitate to leave me a comment if you do, it'll help me a lot!</p><p>You can find me on my art/writing blog : https://erekiosuncreativeideas.tumblr.com/</p><p>Happy reading !</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Lukas Pryce had seen many strange things in his short life, especially as a college student: people doing incredibly stupid stuff during parties (not that he went to a lot of them), students watching porn in the lecture halls, wandering drunk students in the middle of the night… But this right there? This was way weirder than anything he had ever seen before.</p>
<p>“<em>What the absolute <strong>fuck</strong></em>?” thought he young student, as he tried to take in the sight in front of him.</p>
<p>He was standing up in an entrance hall of a famous television studio, the Dead Bird Television Studio. To be honest, Lukas never really understood where the name came from and never really thought much about it until more recent events. All he used to know was that they made a lot of stuff, from movies to TV shows, and even musicals! It was strange to think that a single studio could manage such different genres and still doing a good job with them. The student never thought he would ever step in a place like this, but his life had recently taken a route very different than what he expected.</p>
<p>Several persons were running in front of him, most of them carrying fire extinguishers. A fire had apparently started in the middle of a shooting and smoke could be seen through the doors leading to the filming stage. No one was noticing him, as they were all preoccupied with the current situation, and Lukas almost thought about leaving. But he couldn’t, as much as he wanted to.</p>
<p>Being a college student, especially a law student, was hard. In a system where students were in debt and had to pay a lot of things, Lukas couldn’t afford to lose one of the only job opportunities he could get in his two years spent at the university. While he did have nice parents who helped him to fund his studies, he didn’t like the idea of depending too much on them, especially on studies which were quite expensive.</p>
<p>So, yeah, he needed the money too much to consider leaving.</p>
<p>Lukas tried to get closer to the people, hoping to stop someone long enough to know if he should wait and come back later. Well, it did seem like the most reasonable solution, yes, but he had lost too many job positions because of his hesitation. Maybe he would look like a complete idiot, but if it meant he would get this job, then, he didn’t care!</p>
<p>-“Hum, excuse me?” he asked, as he managed to grab a someone’s arm, stopping them from doing whatever people did in case of fire emergencies. It was a blond man in his forties, and he was very much angry from the sudden interruption.</p>
<p>-“What are you doing? Let go of me, there’s a fire in there!”</p>
<p>Lukas tried to get more of him, but the man pulled his arm from the student’s hand, who didn’t really know what to do with himself. It <em>was</em> a bad time to go to this job interview, after all.</p>
<p>“<em>Maybe I should just leave and go back later?</em>” he thought quickly, turning away from the reception desk. He could call the studio later to reschedule the interview. Sure, Lukas never liked phone calls in the first place, but hey, what can you do against a fire emergency? It was better to leave this place, call back later and have another chance next week. Or at least, he hoped so.</p>
<p>However, before he could push the exit door, two voices interrupted him. While most of his surroundings were loud and full of agitation, these voices were even louder, cutting short all of Lukas’s inner monologue. The young student stopped in his tracks and threw a glance behind him, more than curious about what was happening on the other side of the room.</p>
<p>Two figures entered the room, apparently arguing with each other in the most intense way. One was a tall and sturdy black man, while the other was an older and smaller blond man. The former was wearing a set of very excentric clothing, while the latter was wearing a black costume, as well as a black cap on his head, which was hiding his eyes underneath. Both made big gestures with their arms, as they bickered. Something about them felt really familiar to Lukas who, for a brief moment, didn’t understand why. It was only when he heard their voices through the general brouhaha that he remembered: they were the famous directors of the Dead Bird Television studio!</p>
<p>-“Was it really necessary to have that many sparks in the last scene?!” asked the sturdy man -DJ Grooves-, pointing the smoke coming into the room with both hands.</p>
<p>-“Of course it was!” replied the older one, much louder, stomping his foot on the ground. This was the Conductor. It wasn’t his real name but the old director never accepted to tell his real name to the media. He was mostly known as “The Conductor” and all of his movies were signed this way. Well, so were DJ Grooves’s, but the latter’s real name usually appeared somewhere in the credits.</p>
<p>They had recently started to work together on several projects and, while those became extremely famous blockbusters, it was said the two directors had problems working together in the past. It had seemed to improve through the years, but Lukas remembered reading an article somewhere, dealing with the direction problem on their latest movie at the time. While they were both very competent, they also had very different ideas and visions about movie-making, which made the filming quite difficult sometimes.</p>
<p>The argument kept going despite the agitation around them. In fact, most of the people in the room were avoiding them, by distancing themselves as much as possible from the duo, passing from one side to the room to the others by doing a detour in order not to be noticed.</p>
<p>-“It <em>was</em>? Darling, everything caught fire! I know you like action, but <em>this</em> was way too much!”</p>
<p>-“Pfff, as if <em>you</em> knew the basics of action movies! <em>I</em> know what action scenes need! Mind your own part of the movie, the <em>music</em>!” he said, putting a strong and ironical emphasis on the last word, as if he was mocking it. Which, in retrospect, was probably the case.</p>
<p>-“Excuse me? Conductor, <em>darling</em>, we talked about this: music is as important as action! A movie without any good music is worthless, just as it is without good and measured action!”</p>
<p>The bickering continued for a while and Lukas couldn’t help but stare at the two directors. They didn’t seem to hate each other as much as they did in the past, at least from what he had seen on TV, but it was quite impressive nonetheless. They both had strong personalities and those didn’t mix well together.</p>
<p>Lukas didn’t know what to do. He instinctively opened his shoulder back to take the job poster out of it. It was about a stagehand position, which didn’t need a lot of experience. It demanded to know how to fix set materials and to know how to sew -<em>which he did</em>-, nothing hard, really. What matters was the pay at the end of the month, pay he very much needed for his studies.</p>
<p>He hesitated a moment: should he step in? Most of the people here seemed to avoid them as much as possible, maybe there was a reason for that? However, if he didn’t do anything, he would get back home without any more job than before. What if someone showed up not long after he left and got the job? He didn’t want to take the risk.</p>
<p>Lukas <em>needed</em> that money.</p>
<p>The student took a deep breath and walked towards the two bickering directors, feeling his heart sink in his chest. Not only was he approaching celebrities, but he was also going to interrupt them to ask for a job! In a way, this was an extremely bold move, which contrasted tremendously from his usual behaviour. In any other situation, he would have chosen to leave, not to bother them, try later… But he wanted this job and he was ready to step out of his comfort zone to get it!</p>
<p>He finally arrived next to the two men, who absolutely didn’t notice him in the least, continuing their previous argument about the (un)necessity of using such or such pyrotechnic. Lukas felt eyes land on him: some workers seemed to notice his intent of interrupting the two directors and silently shook their head in his direction, telling him to give up, that he would end up regretting doing it eventually.</p>
<p>But the student didn’t listen. Instead, he cleared his throat, first once, then twice, this time a bit louder. The two directors immediately stopped talking and turned in his direction, surprised by the sudden interruption.</p>
<p>-“Hum… Excuse me, I- I saw that you were looking for a stagehand and I came for the interview,” he started, unsure. Lukas wasn’t afraid to approach people, usually. But this wasn’t a usual situation: he was facing two famous movie directors! And interrupting them in an argument during a fire emergency!</p>
<p>… Suddenly, the whole thing didn’t seem like a good idea anymore.</p>
<p>The two men were now staring at him, probably not knowing how to answer. Lukas felt very nervous, being stared at that way. He felt like they were examining him from top to bottom, as if he was just an object.</p>
<p>All of a sudden, the Conductor let out a huge sigh and, still very much angry, quickly grabbed one of the fire extinguishers from someone’s hand. He then pushed it violently in the student’s arms:</p>
<p>-“You know what, fine, you’re hired!” said the old director curtly, before turning away to leave like a sulking child: “Go put out the fires with the others!”</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>Lukas remained unmoving, too shocked to react right away. Next to him, DJ Grooves let out a tired sigh, maybe because he was used to that kind of things. When the Conductor noticed Lukas’s non-reaction, he stomped his foot once again and pointed to the room from which came the smoke :</p>
<p>-“<em>Now!</em>”</p>
<p>Lukas jumped at the harsh order and turned to the stage room as fast as he could, extremely confused by what had just happened. Did he just… Get the job? That easily? There had to be a catch somewhere!</p>
<p>But here he was, passing through the door, only to find something on fire in the middle of the stage, surrounded by several people trying to put the fire out. Without thinking much, the student ran to meet them, almost falling down because of the weight of the fire extinguishers. No one seemed to notice him as they were all focused on the danger in front of them.</p>
<p>Lukas then joined their effort, disabling the safety lock on the device before spraying the fire.</p>
<p>Surely, this was just an exception… The working conditions weren’t going to be any weirder, were they? Lukas felt doubt growing in him, as the flames became weaker and weaker as seconds passed.</p>
<p>What did he get himself into?</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. “Uh, excuse me?”</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Lukas meets some new people and discovers that almost no one is this studio has manners.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>YOOOO NEW CHAPTER<br/>I had started it a while ago and left it to rot until I posted the first chapter. And... I ended up writing 90% of this chapter in less than 48 hours. My old self would be so, so impressed with my current productivity.</p><p>Also.... You cannot IMAGINE how eager I was to post this chapter, mainly because of one character I fell in love with. You'll probably guess who it is by the end of this chapter.<br/>The drawing is mine, like usual.<br/>Mike's (awesome) design belongs to levshany (https://levshany.tumblr.com/).</p><p>If you like this story, don't hesitate to leave a comment or a kudo, it helps me so much !! I get so inspired and happy when I read your reaction, I'm so thankful for everyone reading my stories ! (after my 2 years long writing and art block, it feels absolutely wonderful)</p><p>You can find me on Tumblr if you want to see more of my art/behind the scenes stuff : https://erekiosuncreativeideas.tumblr.com/</p><p>Anyway... Happy reading !</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Lukas’s family wasn’t exactly poor. His father worked in an office and his mother was a junior high school teacher, and both gained enough money to maintain the household and guarantee a higher education for Lukas. However, when the young man had announced to his parents his wish to study law in a famous university, uncertainty fell on his family. They <em>could</em> afford to send him to a less renowned university, though Lukas had always been a very good and serious student. The more his parents thought about it, the more they felt like they would waste their son’s potential if they refused him the future he wished for. Compromises had to be made and all the household began to think about ways to finance Lukas’s studies. Eventually, Lukas decided to take a part-time job in order to help his parents to deal with the financial situation he put them in.</p><p>Lukas was a perfectionist, even if that lead him to stay awake a few nights just to be absolutely ready for a usual test or a more important exam. Sleep was an issue for the young man: it was always in the way of his revising sessions! More often than not, he found himself falling asleep quite often during his less important lectures.</p><p>That’s why, at the present moment, Lukas couldn’t help but wonder if he was dreaming or truly awake.</p><p>All around him, people were moving very quickly, carrying extinguishers and buckets full of water. The young man didn’t have to think more as his arm was grabbed by an older stagehand, pulling him towards the huge fire in the centre of the room.</p><p>-“What are you waiting for? Use your goddamn extinguisher!” pushed the man while pointing to the flames. It seemed enough to pull Lukas back to reality and he obeyed. He joined the other stagehands trying to put the fire out and brandished his own extinguisher. He had to fiddle with it a little bit until he was able to disable the lock. Once it was done, he started spraying the flames with the extinguishing foam. The heat was almost <em>unbearable</em> and the proximity and movement of people around him made him even more nervous. A deafening fire alarm rang in the room, making his head hurt. He couldn’t believe that his first task as a stagehand would be to put a fire out! It wasn’t one of Lukas’s phobias, <em>thank goodness</em>, though it was still a very stressful experience to him. As if his student life wasn’t stressful already!</p><p>Fortunately, the flames soon disappeared under the foam, to Lukas’s great relief. He put the fire extinguisher on the ground, his arms sore for holding such a heavy object for so long. He was sweating a lot, both from the effort and from the heat. He dried his forehead with his sleeve, not caring if he was putting sweat on it. That was the least of his problems at the moment.</p><p>The student’s inner monologue was cut short as a voice was raised despite the commotion in the room:</p><p>-“Alright, people! Five-minute break, you deserved it!” The words came from an imposing dark-haired man, whose expression looked severe. He was wearing a beige shirt as well as black pants with braces. The man had a broad face, just like his shoulders.</p><p>Lukas let out another sigh of relief. No more than an hour had passed since his conversation with both of the directors and he was <em>already glad</em> to have a<em> break</em>. He couldn’t help but wonder if this job really was a good idea, after all… Yet, he pushed this idea out of his head: he <em>needed</em> the money, so until he found a better job, he would have to deal with this one. <em>This was only temporary</em>.</p><p>The man from before waved at him, asking him to come closer. The student was a little surprised but supposed that this person was the one in charge of all the stagehands. Lukas hadn’t been properly introduced to any of his superiors or <em>to his job at all</em>, in the end. It made sense that it would only happen<em> after </em>the huge fire. The young man obeyed and approached the other, trying to avoid bumping into the other stagehands walking all around him. He would <em>never</em> get used to crowded places.</p><p>-“Hell-”</p><p>Lukas didn’t get the time to introduce himself as his first word was cut short by his interlocutor:</p><p>-“Yeah, good morning,” said the man, not even looking at Lukas, his eyes scanning a document he had in his hands instead: “You’re a new stagehand, aren’t you?”</p><p>The student was frustrated at the manager’s lack of manners but decided to put his pride aside. This was only his first working day, nothing was going to be perfect, <em>obviously</em>. He extended his hand, forcing a polite smile on his face as he tried to answer:</p><p>-“Yes, my-”</p><p>-“Your name?” demanded the man, cutting him short once again.</p><p>Lukas could feel his annoyance start to appear on his face, though he did his best to hide it nonetheless. He certainly didn’t want to lose his job after all the trouble he went through to get it! He took a deep breath and replied, with the calmest tone he could manage:</p><p>-“I’m Lukas, Lukas Pryce.”</p><p>He didn’t see the need of saying anything else, as his interlocutor was likely going to stop him in the middle of a sentence. He took his hand back, well aware that the man wasn’t going to shake it. It apparently was the right thing to do, since said man finally looked up from his document to stare at him, examining him from top to bottom. The student didn’t like being scrutinized this way, though he did his best to stay silent and unmoving, waiting for the other man to talk again.</p><p>-“Yeah, okay. I’m Kaleb, I’m the one in charge of everything that’s happening in the backstage. I’m also your boss, but I guess you pretty much figured that out.”</p><p>Lukas only nodded, not wanting to be interrupted again. The manager rummaged through the papers he was holding and handed one of them to the student, who examined the first sentences written on it. It was a job contract.</p><p>-“You were hired on the spot, weren’t you?” questioned the man, though his tone showed it wasn’t really a question. Maybe it happened a lot more than Lukas first thought.</p><p>-“Yeah,” he replied while reading the paper he had now in his hands.</p><p>-“Well, <em>okay</em>, so… Technically, you’re not hired <em>yet</em>, so go fill that while the others and I clean this mess. Once you’re done, come back and give me your contract. Then I’ll give you some things to do until we figure out what particular position you’re going to get. Got it?”</p><p>Lukas nodded again and walked away. He spotted a white and blue folding table and chairs in a corner of the room, probably for staff breaks. Most of the seats were occupied, though some of them were still free. Thus, the student joined the seated members of the studio and put the paper down. He took a pen from his shoulder bag and started filling the document. Well, <em>finally </em>a calm activity! At least, minus the hubbub all around him.</p><p>However, as he was about to fill one of the last section, someone nudged him with their elbow. Surprised from the sudden contact, Lukas lifted his head, looking for the person who tried to catch his attention. His eyes fell on a young man who seemed to have the same age as him. He had black and white hair and was wearing a red turtleneck, as well as black glasses. He had a kind expression on his face. Was he a stagehand just like him? He didn’t seem to help the others, so probably not. Maybe an actor, then? His face was familiar to the student, so it could be the case.</p><p>-“You’re a new stagehand?” asked the mystery person, smiling warmly at him. Lukas couldn’t help but feel reassured at the nice expression: finally something <em>good </em>in this<em> unbelievable</em> day!</p><p>Lukas smiled back and pointed to the form he was filling:</p><p>-“Yep. Just got hired an hour ago,” he laughed, thinking back at the improbable interaction with the two movie directors. Lukas then extended his hands, not wanting to be impolite just like his new manager: “I’m Lukas.”</p><p>His interlocutor took his hand -<em>finally, someone who had manners!</em>- and shook it, still smiling.</p><p>-“I’m Mike. I’m the lead designer for puppets and costumes. Well, more puppets than costume these last few days…”</p><p>The mention of puppets caught the student’s attention. So, he wasn’t an actor, then. So, that still didn’t explain why his face seemed so familiar to Lukas. Why did he feel like he had seen this person somewhere before?</p><p>-“Puppets?” he repeated, amused.</p><p>-“Yeah. The team I’m in is working on a kids’ TV show, featuring puppets and stuff,” explained Mike: “But it’s only the beginning for now, they’re still looking for actors for the main cast.”</p><p>-“I had no idea this studio was making kids’ shows,” replied Lukas, amazed: “I only heard of it through the Conductor’s and DJ Grooves’s movies.”</p><p>The puppet maker laughed at his enthusiasm and shook his head:</p><p>-“Actually, that’s a first. You know how they have a hard time working together, right?” Lukas nodded and Mike continued his explanations: “Well, this time, instead of fighting over the direction, they’re trying to see if they can each focus on different aspects of the projects. The Conductor will lead the action scenes while DJ Grooves will write and compose most of the songs and soundtrack. I mean, it’s already<em> supposed</em> to be the case usually, but they can’t help but focus on the other’s job anyway. This show is another chance of them minding their own part of the work and see how it turns out.”</p><p>The student rose his brows, surprised. Well, from what he knew about the subject, each one of their collaborations ended up having direction problems. It was quite a shame since they always had very good ideas, at least, probably before one <em>sabotaged</em> the other’s work.</p><p>-“Why a kids’ show, though?” questioned Lukas with a voice full of curiosity.</p><p>-“I guess it’s just a precaution process. Better to fail on a kids’ show rather than on an eagerly-awaited blockbuster, isn’t it?” supposed the costume designer.</p><p>-“Yeah, you’re right, it makes sense.”</p><p>The student looked around him, watching the stagehands cleaning the remains of the scene. He had no idea what they had been filming, but most of the props had been destroyed in the incident. They likely lost any footage in the fire which certainly wasn’t going to improve the tensions in the studio. The young man turned back to his new friend and finally asked the question he was scared to voice:</p><p>-“Uh, is it… Always like that?” he wondered, gesturing to all the people working behind them, wincing at the idea of having to deal with such problems on a daily basis. Mike laughed and gave him a sympathetic smile before replying:</p><p>-“Pretty much, yeah, sorry.”</p><p>Lukas felt the usual pain in his stomach appear from the sudden rise of stress. Not only did he have serious and important studies to deal with, but he would also need to do the same in his free time? Now, working here didn’t seem like such a good idea after all… His nervousness must have been quite visible because the other man put a hand on his shoulder to try to reassure him:</p><p>-“Hey, hey, it’s going to be okay, it’s not so bad!”</p><p>“<em>Yeah, right,</em>” thought Lukas sarcastically, probably showing a bit of this emotion unconsciously.</p><p>The costume designer stared into space as if he was trying to find something to say before lifting his head again, smiling at him widely:</p><p>-“Hey, wait, maybe you could work with us!” offered Mike, suddenly very inspired and motivated: “We haven’t started filming yet but we’ll definitely need stagehands soon! Plus, it’ll probably be <em>way less wild </em>than working on the Conductor’s action movies or DJ Grooves’s musicals. Not that I’ll have a lot to say in the matter, but I can still recommend you.”</p><p>Lukas opened his eyes wide at the suggestion. Wait, could it really be<em> that </em>easy?</p><p>-“You… You’d do that? <em>Really?</em>” The young man couldn’t believe it: how lucky was he being today? It was too good to be true! Karma was soon going to collect his debt at this pace…</p><p>-“Yeah!” exclaimed Mike, almost happier than Lukas himself: “You seem nice, plus you don’t have a lot of experience. It would be better for you to start working in a smaller and calmer team.”</p><p>Lukas was about to thank him for the offer when he was interrupted -<em>again</em>- by a loud noise coming from behind his back. The student turned around, curious about what could have caused such a loud sound. He was surprised to see a man entering the room, having slammed the door as an entrance. His hair was black and white and he was wearing a long green coat as well as black pants. The man was wearing converse shoes and round glasses. However, Lukas’s eyes widened not because of the man’s appearance or entrance but because <em>he knew who it was</em>. This guy was a very famous actor, one that Lukas knew very well because he had seen him in several movies by now. MJ, that was his acting name. Just like The Conductor, MJ had done his best to keep his real name a secret, for reasons most people didn’t know yet.</p><p>And suddenly, Lukas understood why Mike’s face had seemed <em>so familiar</em> to him: they both had the exact same face!</p><p>The student turned back to his friend with a confused expression. There was no doubt about it, he hadn’t imagined it: apart from their haircut and clothes, they looked absolutely <em>the same</em>. Lukas was about to ask about it but Mike forestalled his question:</p><p>-“Yeah, we’re twins,” he explained, though it was possible to see some weariness on his face. This was surely not the first time someone had asked about it. The student felt a little guilty, though it was a bit too late for that.</p><p>-“I had no idea MJ had a brother, let alone a twin,” admitted the young man, quite embarrassed.</p><p>-“We agreed to keep it a secret. I'm not a fan of the celebrity life like my brother is. I feel ill-at-ease in crowded spaces.”</p><p>Lukas rose his eyebrows, taken aback, and threw a glance at their surroundings. <em>Welp</em>, apparently, they didn’t have the same definition of “<em>crowded spaces</em>”, if all of this wasn’t bothering him. Maybe Lukas was just shier than most introverts? It was strange because he didn’t think he was much of an introvert until now. Yeah, <em>sure</em>, he spent<em> a lot</em> of time studying in his room, but it wasn’t because he didn’t like people or anything. Or so he thought. Now that he was actually in a place like this, he wasn’t so sure of it now. It <em>did</em> make him uncomfortable.</p><p>Even more, now that he knew that there were famous actors near him.</p><p>-“Hey,” greeted a voice behind him, very similar to Mike’s one. Lukas turned to the origin of the said voice and felt his heart sink in his chest when he realized that MJ had come to them. Fortunately, the actor wasn’t looking at him but at his brother. Lukas didn’t know how he would have reacted otherwise. He knew celebrities were people like everyone else, yet he couldn’t deny the sensation of stress he had at the idea of meeting one.</p><p>-“Hey,” replied Mike, with a softer tone, smiling at his twin. If they looked the same, their attitude seemed to be different. From the way MJ stood and dressed, he looked like a very assertive extrovert. Mike, on the contrary, seemed to be the complete opposite: with his red turtleneck and his very straight posture, he was the perfect image of the introvert concept.</p><p>It was like two sides of a coin: both looked like the other, yet they were not the same on many aspects.</p><p>MJ noticed the student’s stare and glanced down at him, absolutely unimpressed.</p><p>-“And who are you again?”</p><p>The actor’s tone was everything but nice or curious. The other sounded like he just asked that question because Lukas was in the way. No need to say that the young man’s frustration grew again: apparently, people had some problems with manners here. He still put his pride aside, deciding that replying to the provocative introduction wasn’t worth it. Instead, he extended his hand for what seemed like the tenth time that day:</p><p>-“My name’s Lukas,” he answered in the nicest way he could manage, then decided to be polite, for both of them at least: “I really like your movies, they’re amazing!”</p><p>His interlocutor smiled back while, in the corner of his vision, Mike looked away in embarrassment. What for? Lukas’s confusion intensified as he heard MJ’s answer:</p><p>-“<em>Why</em>, thank you!” replied the other, though it sounded too exaggerated to feel sincere. The latter didn’t shake his hand back either. Then, he looked above Lukas’s shoulder to read his soon-to-be-filled job contract: “Oh, are you a new stagehand?”</p><p>
  
</p><p>The question was asked in a particular way that made the student ill-at-ease. He couldn’t help but suspect the other’s niceness was completely faked. Though, he tried not to think about it and continued the conversation:</p><p>-“Yeah, I got hired a bit earlier. I helped to put out the fire.”</p><p>MJ looked around him as if he was only noticing the remains of the incident just now. His face immediately changed from cordiality to <em>utter disgust</em>. The sudden change unsettled the student, who didn’t know how to react. Next to them, Mike looked even more ill-at-ease than before. Why, did they have a bad relationship? Lukas couldn’t help but wonder, until MJ spoke again, making him come back to reality:</p><p>-“Okay, so this is all very interesting but-”</p><p>-“MJ, please don’t,” warned Mike, now frowning at him. Lukas had the impression that he was in the middle of a battlefield. This was <em>extremely</em> uncomfortable for him, who had no idea what to do with himself in the meantime.</p><p>-“<em>What</em>, I’m just <em>socializing</em>, as you told me to! Isn’t it what you want?” nagged the celebrity mischievously. Mike only glared in response. Well, this was <em>officially</em> more than awkward.</p><p>-“So, as I was saying…” continued the actor innocently, as if nothing just happened: “I need a coffee, two sugar lumps, no milk, and take it to my dressing room. And quick. Thanks!”</p><p>Lukas stared at the other with bewilderment.</p><p>“<em>What?</em>” The student was just <em>astounded</em> and didn’t know how to react at first. Did he hear that <em>right</em>?</p><p>MJ waved hypocritically at him, his true personality finally exposed. <em>That’s</em> why everything coming from his mouth had seemed so <em>insincere</em>! Just as he was about to turn away to leave, Lukas stopped him, full of mixed emotions such as confusion, surprise, but mostly irritation:</p><p>-“Uh, <em>excuse me</em>?” retorted the young man, absolutely offended.</p><p>MJ faked not hearing him, leaving the student and his bottled emotions seated at the table. Who did that guy take himself for?</p><p>Next to him, Mike sighed, rolling his eyes. He shook his head at Lukas in a tired way:</p><p>-“Don’t mind him, he’s like that with everyone. Except me I guess. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of the coffee.” The other stood up and gestured to the forgotten paper on the table: “you should complete that and give it back to Kaleb. I’ll speak to him as soon as I can. For now, just do as he says.”</p><p>Lukas agreed, still astonished by the interaction he just had with this <em>so-called </em>actor. <em>Welp</em>, guess he knew who was the evil twin between the two, now.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Welp. Guess who ABSOLUTELY LOVED writing MJ ?<br/>You can read more about him here (warning : SPOILERS) : https://erekiosuncreativeideas.tumblr.com/post/613595079797620736/fedoraspooky-subbydations-starrysorry</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. “Welcome to hell.”</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Lukas gets to know his job a little better.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>NEW CHAPTER, YOOO<br/>I bet you weren't expecting it this fast ! WELL TAKE THAT -okay, okay, just kidding-<br/>On a more serious note, this chapter was supposed to be longer but, heh, I love splitting my chapters into several parts.</p>
<p>I finished this chapter super fast, AND SAME WITH THE (extremely complicated) DRAWING ! I hope you will like them !</p>
<p>And gosh, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT !! This fanfic has just begun and there are already so many people leaving comments or following the fanfic ! Again, thank you, it means SO MUCH to me and it's a HUGE help ! This is the first time I'm writing a fluff and slice of life fanfic ! It's a big change for me, so I'm really glad I'm doing a good job !</p>
<p>Happy reading !</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mornings were never something Lukas looked forward to. There were several reasons for that, mainly the fact that he hated being woken up by the sound of an alarm clock. However, on that particular morning, the student had another reason to wish to stay in bed: the ache in his muscles from all the work he had accomplished the day before.</p>
<p>So, when his alarm rang that morning, cutting short whatever peaceful dream he had, the young man couldn’t help but whine from the very idea of getting up. He stretched under the cover, listening with annoyance the sound of his alarm clock resonating in his small studio apartment. God, he wished he didn’t have class. It was only six in the morning, much too early after the day before. He had no idea how many hours of sleep he would need to recover from something like that. Yet, he would need to go back to the movie studio right after finishing his classes.</p>
<p>No need to say that it wasn’t something Lukas looked forward to. Of course, the job was physically difficult, so this was one of the excuses, but it wasn’t the <em>only</em> one. As a matter of fact, his new job was also tiring psychologically speaking: there had been <em>too many</em> people moving around him, too much noise in the room he was in, and many people’s lack of manners (<em>one</em> of them in particular)…</p>
<p>And, obviously, he also had to put out a fire! <em>Who</em> does that on their <em>first</em> workday?</p>
<p>Lukas sighed and looked at his phone in discontent. The first semester had started only a few days ago and he already felt that this was going to be difficult. However, he managed to find an ounce of courage deep inside of him and stepped out of bed, wincing at the pain in his arms and legs. <em>Yep</em>, this day was <em>definitely</em> going to be unenjoyable.</p>
<p>Lukas’s apartment was quite small but it was more than enough for him. This was his first time living on his own and there were obviously a lot of pros and cons. <em>Yes</em>, he was finally independent, yet there were a lot of things he had no idea how to do, laundry being one of them. Thankfully, the Internet was full of tutorials, so it would only be a matter of time until he was fully able to take care of himself. Unless he caused a fire trying to cook pasta… Hopefully, living on his own would give him plenty of opportunities to learn how to cook <em>without burning anything</em>.</p>
<p>The student started his morning routine, trying to ignore how tired he was. He really hoped that Mike had talked to Kaleb, his boss, about his offer. The idea of joining a smaller and calmer team was suddenly very appealing to the young man. Well, he supposed that he was going to learn that later that day.</p>
<p>Studying law had always been Lukas’s dream, just as becoming a lawyer. But there were many small things making this dream a little bit harder to accomplish or, at least, making the way to it more <em>tedious</em>. Public transports were a part of it. Being in a crowded bus, having to smell people’s sweat was not what the student had imagined back when he was in high school. But, <em>heh</em>, this was a small price to pay to do what he wanted! And being in one of the most famous law colleges of the country, this had to be expected. Though that didn’t mean he took much pleasure in that.</p>
<p>Lukas went to class as usual after having prepared his bag. The ride to his law school was just as crowded and smelly as he thought, yet he managed to ignore it most of the time. The day progressed well and, despite his tiredness, the student was able to understand the majority of his courses. He didn’t know anyone yet so he chose a seat in an empty part of the lecture hall. The possibility of sleeping was very appealing to him but he resisted the temptation and tried to follow the teachers’ explanations and instructions.</p>
<p>And around four in the afternoon, his classes were over. But not his day, <em>oooh, far from it</em>. He still had to go to work. Suddenly, he felt very unmotivated at the idea. Yet he still needed the money to pay for his school fees and food. Luckily, his parents had decided to take care of the rent of his small apartment, so it was still something less on his mind.</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>The young man dreaded his return to the studio but still went on his way to it. Just like he expected, the bus ride was still crowded, though this wasn’t surprising at this hour of the day. He couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief once he got off the vehicle. As soon as he stepped outside, he felt the wind caressing his face. God, this was <em>exactly</em> what he needed after a twenty-minute ride in a tight space, surrounded by complete strangers!</p>
<p>His eyes looked up to meet the huge studio in front of him, on the other side of the road. It was quite modern, though you could see there were two different buildings: it was a vestige of the time when the Conductor and Grooves persisted to work alone rather than together as they did now. Though that didn’t mean they were friends <em>or even got along</em>, far from it. But <em>at least</em> they were trying to work together, <em>which was a start</em>.</p>
<p>The student crossed the road and braced himself as he entered the building, afraid of anything he might discover today. However, he was almost astonished to see the reception hall almost empty, without people running or screaming around like they did the day before. There were a few people here and there but it was way different. Was he late? Did he come too early? Lukas couldn’t help but let his anxiety put uncertainties in his mind. Normally, he would need to go directly to the movie shoot part of the building but he was too nervous for that. What if he had misunderstood something? The rational part of his mind was frustrated because, <em>of course</em>, he was too serious to misunderstand something… But <em>what if</em>? Sure, there had been a fire the day before, but still, <em>what if</em>? That was his anxiety talking. Not knowing what to do, he walked to the receptionist. The latter’s expression looked like he was way too tired for his job. Would the young man become like this after a while?</p>
<p>He cleared his throat and put his hands on the counter as he asked:</p>
<p>-“Huh, sorry… I was hired yesterday and I was wondering…” Lukas was making no sense and the man in front of him was now looking at him with a mix of curiosity and annoyance as the student was looking for his words. Eventually, he just decided to be direct about the source of his nervousness: “Okay, there’s no one here. Am I too late or too early?”</p>
<p>The other man squinted, trying to get what Lukas was saying. Then, it seemed to hit him as a look of realization crossed his features. His expression changed suddenly from exasperation to laughter. In front of him, Lukas remained unmoving, not knowing if this was a <em>good</em> sign <em>or not</em>.</p>
<p>-“Ahahaha, well…” finally replied the receptionist after laughing a bit: “We don’t have incidents <em>every day</em>, you know. Uh, though, now that I think about it, it happens <em>fairly often</em>. But today, everything’s fine.”</p>
<p>Lukas sighed from relief. He felt his anxiety settling down inside of him, waiting for the <em>right moment</em> to crawl out again. At least, it was under his control now.</p>
<p>-“Right…” continued the student with a sour laugh: “Anyway, thanks!”</p>
<p>He was about to enter the shooting part of the building when he heard a muffled “good luck” behind him. He froze instantly and stared at the receptionist in bewilderment, though the latter was now reading a magazine and wasn’t looking at the young man anymore. He was messing with him, right? Surely, this man was messing with him! Lukas gulped down and took his courage with both hands as he left the room, hoping to be right.</p>
<p>The student was, in fact,<em> not right</em>.</p>
<p>After a few rooms, he found the one where his boss, Kaleb, was. When seeing him, the older man gestured him to come. When Lukas arrived in front of him, he didn’t even get the time to greet his boss. The latter simply started talking without even greeting him:</p>
<p>-“Mike talked to me yesterday and he said his team could use some stagehands. His boss agreed so I have no reason to refuse since you just arrived and don’t have a real purpose in my team yet.”</p>
<p>“<em>Yeah thank you, you prick,</em>” thought Lukas, still doing his best to keep an impassive face despite the man’s words about him. Well, it <em>was</em> true, though there were <em>much better </em>ways to say it.</p>
<p>-“Anyway, the auditions for your new team’s show started today, so you’re going to have a lot of work in the following days. The rest of the stagehands probably finished setting up the scenery for the auditions, but there is still a lot of stuff to do. They’ll probably show you everything you need to know, so, yeah.”</p>
<p>He then pointed to door Lukas went through a moment ago and explained him the way to his new team’s shooting set. Well, all that fuss for almost nothing… If Lukas had known he would come here just to hear that, they could have sent him a text, that would have been much quicker… However, just before the student left, his (ex) boss handed him an ID badge, on which Lukas’s name was written.</p>
<p>-“Welcome to hell,” concluded Kaleb, without any hint of a smile on his face.</p>
<p>Oh God, <em>he wasn’t joking</em>.</p>
<p>The student took the badge, forcing a smile as he did so. His anxiety was threatening to be out of control. He really hoped this was just a huge ragging, just something to scare him the first few days… However, deep inside of him, he could feel that <em>they weren’t lying</em>. Gosh, he wished he was wrong…</p>
<p>Lukas thanked him and left the room, once again looking for the right one to finally start this workday. He found it surprisingly easily after following Kaleb’s instructions as much as he could. The young man found himself in front of a door with a “13” on it, indicating which shooting set was inside.</p>
<p>Okay, so, now <em>this was ridiculous</em>. Lukas had gotten the message, karma <em>hated </em>him, what could possibly go wrong after that? Apparently, defying the universe was <em>an enormous mistake</em> from the student’s part. As soon as he opened the door, his eyes fell on many faces he didn’t know, Mike’s one in a corner of the room… And MJ’s jerky face. What was <em>he</em> doing here? Didn’t he have some movies to act in?</p>
<p>Oh, well, guess Kaleb didn’t lie when he said “<em>welcome to hell</em>”!</p>
<p>All people in the room stopped what they were doing to look at the newcomer with curiosity. The young man guessed that no one told them about him joining the team, or at least, maybe they just didn’t expect him today. Lukas couldn’t help but hold the strap of his bag tightly. So many stares on him made him extremely nervous and it absolutely didn’t help his growing anxiety. At this point, it was just waiting to engulf him whole.</p>
<p>Lukas moved forward, looking around him apprehensively. Which person was the team manager here? Who should he talk to first? Mike? Should he ask who was his new boss? To whom, though?</p>
<p>His fears were calmed as he recognized Grooves’s face among the stagehands, probably telling them what to do. How did he not recognize him through all those people? His haircut and excentric outfit should have helped to spot him.</p>
<p>Taking a deep breath, Lukas moved to Grooves’s direction, not without waving at Mike in the process. His new friend smiled back at him and gave him a supportive thumb up. Next to him was MJ, who only rolled his eyes in a mocking way. The student only glared at him in response. No matter how <em>rich</em> and <em>famous</em> that guy was, Lukas would not take his bullshit. The young man might have an anxiety problem, <em>yes</em>, but he absolutely <em>refused</em> the very idea of letting someone getting under his skin just for the fun of it. MJ’s only reaction to his glare was to scoff, which only made Lukas even more resentful towards him.</p>
<p>When Lukas arrived next to the director, he cleared his throat to catch the other’s attention. It seemed to work, as the director lifted his head to look at him, from top to bottom, before he recognized him.</p>
<p>-“Oh, you’re the new stagehand, aren’t you, darling?” he wondered, though it probably wasn’t a question from the tone of his voice.</p>
<p>-“Yea- I mean, yes,” answered Lukas, doing his best to stay polite. Standing in front of a celebrity without losing his composure was already quite a challenge!</p>
<p>-“Mike told us about you. The more people we get to help, the better!” His suave voice resonated in the room. The director had a real presence, a presence no one could match. His outfit had a lot of colours which immediately caught one’s attention. Just like usual, the man was wearing shoes with huge heels. <em>How</em> was he even able to stand on <em>these</em>?</p>
<p>-“You’re part of the team now, darling!” continued DJ Grooves, taking a pose as he spoke: “I’ll be managing the show… Alongside the Conductor, <em>unfortunately</em>.”<br/>
<br/>
</p>
<p>His voice changed from his usual glamorous tone to a mix of a disappointed and disgusted one at the mention of the Conductor. Yeah, Lukas was right to think the two directors were far from being <em>friends</em>, even when they tried to work together. It would be really funny… <em>If the student didn’t have to work under them, that is</em>.</p>
<p>Still, he couldn’t hide his astonishment at this idea: he would work directly under them? Under two famous figure of the showbiz? Lukas couldn’t believe it! And, quite honestly, his anxiety didn’t either, though it would happily create new sources of stress for the young man, now that he knew who his bosses were.</p>
<p>-“Anyway, darling, I think it would be best if you worked under another stagehand’s management for a while, so you can learn the ropes.”</p>
<p>Lukas nodded. This made sense, considering he knew nothing about this job in the first place, apart from <em>putting out a fire</em> apparently. At least, this was going <em>much better</em> than what he had first expected.</p>
<p>Grooves called someone from the team, a certain Tom, to assign Lukas under his care.<br/>
<br/>
</p>
<p>Now, Lukas’s job would <em>truly</em> start.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I hope you liked that chapter ! We'll meet someone else in the next chapter... Does it have anything to do with the auditions...? PERHAPS.<br/>Anyway, thank you again for your support ! If you liked this chapter, don't hesitate to leave a comment or a kudo, it helps me A LOT !</p>
<p>See you on the next chapter, stay safe everyone !</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. “I’m… I’m sorry?”</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Lukas has a totally normal day at work (spoiler alert: he doesn't).</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>New chapter ! I hope you'll like it ! Don't hesitate to leave a comment if you did, it helps me a lot, I can assure you !</p><p>Sorry about the drawing not being finished, my tablet is dying and I couldn't do more. I probably won't be able to draw anything for this fanfic until I either solve the problem or buy another tablet...</p><p>You can see more of my art/posts about the fanfic here : https://erekiosuncreativeideas.tumblr.com/</p><p>Anyway, happy reading !</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kaleb did say that Lukas was going to have <em>a lot</em> of work because of the auditions… But the young man really thought it wouldn’t be <em>that</em> bad. For several hours, the student had to do many tasks, a lot of which involving physical efforts. He wasn’t very sporty usually, so it was quite demanding for his body. All his muscles seemed <em>to beg</em> him to stop after a while. After all, spending a few hours moving heavy props around and building stuff was not easy for a young nonathletic man like him. When his mentor, Tom, told him he could take a break, Lukas felt like he was hearing angels singing in the background. The student stretched, feeling his joints crack at the action. Oh, he <em>so</em> needed that.</p><p>Lukas approached the coffee machine in the room and prepared himself a cup. He had to drink <em>at least </em>one cup if he wanted to survive for the rest of his shift. He looked at his watch and was relieved to see he only had an hour or so before the end of his workday.</p><p>“<em>Thank God,</em>” he thought to himself with a sigh. The day had been quite tiring, both mentally and physically, and the idea of just <em>collapsing</em> onto his bed was extremely appealing to him. Though he knew he had some assignments to finish and that he wouldn’t be able to go to sleep before midnight. Welp, this had to be expected, with his studies and the fact that most of his free time would be taken by this gruelling job.</p><p>At least, Mike had done everything to make him feel at ease. His new friend also helped him to get acquainted with the other members of the team and Lukas was really thankful for that. The other man also got to explain why his <em>evil twin</em> was there and it only made the student’s day even more tiring than it already was. Apparently, when the guy had learnt about his brother’s participation in the project, he had “offered” to play a role and was given the antagonist part. However, “<em>offered</em>” wasn’t quite the right word and Lukas guessed that MJ forced himself in the project, from Mike’s face while the latter was explaining it. In a way, his presence was a good thing for the show, since MJ was very famous, even among children. His participation in the project would only raise the ratings of the show and this was something they deeply needed for the show to keep airing. However… MJ’s attitude on set was <em>definitely</em> not needed.</p><p>The guy was absolutely <em>detestable</em>, an opinion apparently shared by most people in the team. He was like a diva, but <em>ten times worse</em>. Not only did he criticize most of the stagehands for things he had no responsibility in, but he was also unquestionably disrespectful and odious to everyone, <em>even Grooves himself</em>! The nerves this guy had! He seemed to think he was superior to every person in this room! The only one to whom he was less displeasing was his brother, though Lukas didn’t envy him. If MJ wasn’t mean to him, he was at best condescending and at worst passive-aggressive.</p><p>Lukas also had to deal with him at some point, with MJ always pointing at his mistakes and wondering aloud why they hired a student out of all people in need of a job. No need to say that the only thing preventing Lukas to punch him in the face was the money he really, <em>really needed</em> at the end of the month. He hadn’t noticed how patient and calm he could be until now, if he had to be completely honest.</p><p>Did this execrable actor have some quality to compensate how <em>rude</em> he was? Not really. However, he <em>did</em> know how to act, almost perfectly. The young man had to admit that, at least. If only the other’s personality wasn’t so <em>terrible</em>… Lukas had been admirative of MJ in the past, when he didn’t actually know him, but now, his admiration had been thrown away. Very,<em> very far away</em>. The question was<em> why </em>no one had actually talked about it on the Internet or in the news. He would have to ask Mike about that, the next time he was alone with him.</p><p>His inner monologue was cut short when he heard a knock on the studio door. Well, that was unusual, since the team members came in and out without knocking. It then opened, revealing a man in his forties, soon followed by a little girl, hand in hand. The man was wearing a formal suit, as if he had just left an important meeting. His haircut was well-groomed and while the suit made him look like a strict person, his face seemed rather welcoming.</p><p>The little girl was quite young. She probably was an eight or ten years old kid, though Lukas didn’t know much about children, to begin with. She was wearing a black shirt with a glittery pattern the student didn’t recognize from where he was and she had white sleeves underneath. She was wearing light blue jeans overalls as well as a red jacket tied up to her waist by the sleeves. Nervousness could be seen on her face as she and her (probable) father entered the room.</p><p>They were probably here for the audition. The studio was looking for children for the main protagonists. Other families had come during his shift to have an audition, though Lukas had been too busy in the backstage to actually watch them. This time, however, he hoped he would be able to during his break. Witnessing an audition in a famous studio! If he had been told that a month ago, he wouldn’t have believed it.</p><p>The family was greeted by DJ Grooves and the little girl was handed a script for the scene. Lukas couldn’t hear anything from where he was standing, but he had no problem imagining that the child was been explained the scene she was going to play. Well, she probably rehearsed it plenty of times before, though the anxiety could still make her look for her words. It was just a precaution.</p><p>The director then called MJ over. Since the latter was the only actor playing one of the main characters, for now, he had to help with the auditions. The student thought the other would see it as a chore but, on the contrary, he was way too happy to show off his acting skills.</p><p>Yep, that was it. Lukas couldn’t stand that guy.</p><p>Lukas got closer to the shooting set, hoping he could watch a bit of the audition before going back to work. He held his cup of coffee to his lips, pretending to drink it when he had actually finished it a bit earlier. At least, he would look somewhat busy.</p><p>The little girl got up on the shooting set, doing her best to remain calm and taking deep breathes. Her father was watching her carefully with a mix of worry and pride on his face. MJ, on the other hand, seemed just fine and absolutely not anxious. Well, he <em>was</em> used to that kind of thing, so that made sense. And then, MJ’s eyes met his and the other smiled at him hypocritically, just to mock him. Lukas replied with a glare, which only made MJ snicker.</p><p>The student hated him.<em> So much</em>.</p><p>The actor took a puppet which had been given to him by one of the other stagehands. He readied himself and held it as if it was floating around the child. It was a puppet representing a character with blue skin and a red long coat. His head had the form of a croissant, and its eyes were grey and red, one of them having red diamonds in it. Its fingers were sharp like claws and some fangs could be seen from the puppet’s mouth.</p><p>Woah. <em>Creepy</em>.</p><p>Just as they were about to start the audition, a loud noise interrupted them, just like Lukas’s train of thoughts.</p><p>The door of the room had been opened abruptly, revealing the Conductor, out of breath. His face was covered in black, as if something had exploded next to him. The student did his best not to laugh at his frustrated and angry expression and looked away, not wanting to incur the Conductor’s wrath.</p><p>-“You’re<em> late</em>, darling”, remarked Grooves, without his usual glamorous tone. The reproach in his tone of voice was crystal clear, though. The other director lifted his hand to make him stop talking.</p><p>-“Oh don’t <em>pecking</em> start, <em>Grooves</em>!” retorted the Conductor, with his strong Scottish accent, emphasizing his partner’s name in a hateful way. Welp, they <em>really </em>couldn’t stand each other, could they? The Conductor approached DJ Grooves as the latter started talking again:</p><p>-“Well, I guess <em>someone </em>had <em>another</em> accident today,” said the DJ with a mocking tone: “What was it <em>this time</em>? The train engine blowing up in your current movie?”</p><p>The older man took a seat next to Grooves, not even greeting the little girl and her father while doing so. Boy, this audition sure was <em>lively</em>… Lukas couldn’t help but hope the child wouldn’t get too distracted by it. He couldn’t imagine how he would feel in her shoes.</p><p>-“<em>Peck off</em>, I’m not in the mood,” warned the Conductor darkly, before taking a speaker cone next to him. DJ Grooves simply rolled his eyes and sighed, as the other director shouted a loud “<em>action!</em>”, still not greeting the family. Well, seemed like Lukas found another person to add in the “<em>not having any fucking manners</em>” list. It sure was getting long after only two days of work…</p><p>The child jumped at the loud order but quickly pulled herself together. She took another deep breath and started talking, saying her lines with a confidence Lukas would never have. She was really talented and, even if he hadn’t seen the other candidates earlier that day, he couldn’t help but think she had <em>something</em>. Something which made her <em>different</em>. The way she moved across the stage, the way she said her lines and reacted to MJ’s ones, the fake expressions on her face as she acted… She <em>was</em> talented. Well, Lukas didn’t know much about acting anyway, but he <em>did</em> know that he was really impressed at the performance. It was also easy to see that the little girl was having a lot of fun playing her role. The student didn’t think this day would be enjoyable in any way, but there was something about watching this audition that made his shift <em>infinitely better</em> than what it was before.</p><p>That’s why he was astounded when he heard Grooves interrupting the audition with a “cut!”. <em>Why</em>? The young man didn’t understand! She was skilled!</p><p>The child’s expression went from the excitement of acting to a much darker one which Lukas knew very well: a mix of anxiety, sadness and disappointment. He felt a huge heartache seeing her like this and couldn’t help but relate. “<em>How disappointed she must be!</em>” was all the student was able to think as he was looking at her.</p><p>However, his distress disappeared completely with Grooves’s next sentence:</p><p>-“I don’t know… There’s <em>something </em>bothering me with the puppet.”</p><p>The words hit Lukas like a train as a huge feeling of surprise settled over him. The… <em>Puppet</em>?</p><p>MJ seemed to have the same reaction as him. His eyes widened, as if he had never expected criticism in the first place, which was probably the case in retrospect. The actor furrowed his brow, confused and slightly offended at the same time.</p><p>-“What do you mean?” questioned MJ almost innocently, yet it was very easy to see that he absolutely disliked where this conversation was going.</p><p>-“Well…” Grooves thought for a few seconds and then pointed to the puppet: “I’m wondering that maybe it might be a little <em>too</em> scary for the children watching the show.”</p><p>MJ was about to retort something but the Conductor was quicker and added:</p><p>-“For once, I’m gonna agree with DJ <em>Peckneck</em>,” the name made his colleague pinch his nose in disapproval: “It’s <em>terrifying</em>.”</p><p>MJ remained speechless for a few moments as if he couldn’t believe what he had just heard. Well, it <em>was</em> true: Lukas was not a puppet specialist or anything, but it was <em>scary as hell</em>. The fangs, the claws, the <em>corpse-looking skin</em>… <em>How</em> could it not be creepy?</p><p>The actor straightened himself, looking around him like he couldn’t understand what was being said to him. He seemed like he was searching for someone who could back him up. Mike, who had entered the room not long ago, certainly because of the sudden agitation, noticed his brother’s distress and carefully approached the directors:</p><p>-“I-I’m sorry, but…” the lead designer gulped and tried to support his twin: “You asked for a spooky puppet, so I tried to-”</p><p>He was soon cut short by the Conductor, who glared at him:</p><p>-“Well, yeah, but <em>look at it!</em>” he demanded, pointing to the puppet.</p><p>Grooves agreed:</p><p>-“It <em>is</em> quite unnerving, darling. Can you, perhaps… Make it cuter or something?”</p><p>-“<em>Cuter</em>?!” MJ’s offended voice echoed in the room. His eyes glanced between the directors as he spoke again, full of sarcasm: “<em>I’m sorry</em>, I thought you wanted a <em>villain</em>, not a <em>tea-party monster</em>!”</p><p>
  
</p><p>-“MJ…” Mike warned his twin, surely knowing very well where all of this was going, by the expression on his face. But MJ was <em>not</em> having it.</p><p>-“<em>What</em>, Mike? You’re going to let them criticize our work without saying anything? What are you, <em>a doormat</em>?”</p><p>Lukas winced at the words and felt his anger coming back full force. How could someone say that to <em>their own brother</em>?</p><p>All the stagehands had stopped working and were witnessing the young actor’s outburst.</p><p>Mike only remained silent, as the Conductor slammed his fist on the armrest of the chair he was sitting on:</p><p>-“That’s <em>enough</em>!” yelled the older director, without even needing the cone speaker to be heard all across the other side of the room.</p><p>A few moments passed with deafening silence, as MJ gave the Conductor a death stare, clenching his fists and his jaw, refusing to lose. But the other man was much more persistent than him and soon, MJ just threw the doll onto the floor with a force intensified by his anger.</p><p>-“You know what? <em>Fine</em>,” concluded the diva, with a faked gentle tone: “See if you can finish the audition <em>without me</em>, I’m <em>done</em> for today. Do <em>not</em> bother me.”</p><p>Lukas saw Mike cringe at the sound of the puppet hitting the floor. As a lead designer, the student couldn’t imagine how painful it must be to see the props you worked so hard on getting thrown away like they were just garbage.</p><p><em>That was it</em>. Lukas was done taking that guy’s bullshit. He<em> had </em>to say something! But what if he lost his job after that? He couldn’t allow himself to lose an opportunity like this! Sure, the job was hard, but this was the only way he had to fund his studies! If he ever lost it…</p><p>His nervous and conflicted thoughts were interrupted as he saw MJ leaving the scene, stomping with fury. But as he was walking with heavy steps towards the door, one of his feet got caught up in the multitude of cables laying on the ground and he fell onwards. The actor’s face met the ground with a loud bump, resonating in all the quiet room. A quiet room which was soon filled with powerful waves of laughter. All the stagehands, <em>even the directors</em>, were laughing at the entitled actor’s fall. Mike, on the other hand, was the only one not laughing at all. On the contrary, the lead designer was watching his brother like one would watch a bomb <em>about to explode</em>. MJ lifted his face off the ground, <em>utterly humiliated</em> and Lukas found it absolutely <em>priceless</em>. The guy got just what he deserved!</p><p>And so, Lukas opened his mouth and laughed.</p><p>The actor’s face! The way he just fell down to the floor! This day had started so <em>badly</em> but now it was <em>a hundred times better</em>! Oh, he would <em>never </em>forget that!</p><p>He laughed for a few more seconds until he felt like something was wrong. And then it hit him like a train: <em>he was the only one laughing now</em>.</p><p>The student stopped immediately, closing his mouth as the realization hit him. That’s when he noticed that everyone was staring at him, their eyes widened and their face full of surprise. <em>Oh gosh</em>. It had happened <em>again</em>, hadn’t it? Lukas had laughed too loud and everyone had heard him. Instantly, he put a hand on his mouth.</p><p>The young man had always been <em>very</em> insecure about his laughter. For many people, laughing was something <em>normal</em> and <em>easy</em>, but for Lukas… He was absolutely ashamed of the sound and volume of his laughter. A lot of people had made fun of it at school just like many others had pointed it out to him years later.</p><p>Thus, with years of bullying and self-confidence destroyed little by little, Lukas had come to <em>hate</em> the sound of his laughter. And now, <em>everyone</em> was just staring at him in bewilderment. As for MJ, the man was glaring at him like he had never before, clenching his teeth and squinting his eyes. Oh, well, now Lukas’s hatred for the guy was mutual. <em>Great</em>.</p><p>The student wanted nothing more than to dig his own grave and bury himself in it. This was only his second day of work and somehow, he had managed to screw everything up <em>again</em>. God, what could he do to fix that? Could he even save himself from this situation? And <em>oh</em>, he couldn’t even imagine how MJ was going to go back at him with<em> that</em>… The student was not sure he would stand new hours of bullying about his laughter when he had just managed to keep his anxiety under control only a few years ago. And said anxiety was <em>still</em> hard to control today!</p><p>Lukas let out a nervous chuckle, glancing at the other team members, dread settling over him. What could he do, <em>what could he do</em>?</p><p>-“Hum… Sorry. I- uh, I’m going to go to the toilets now… Sorry again…” he mumbled, pointing to the door tensely and trying to speak as the words had trouble leaving his mouth. He had to get away, otherwise he would become <em>a total nervous disaster</em>. He had to get away, get away from <em>all these people staring at him</em>…</p><p>-“Hey, wait a second,” the Conductor’s voice arose in his back as he tried to leave, stopping him on his track. Oh God, could he get <em>fired</em> for laughing too loud? No, he knew it wasn’t possible, he <em>knew</em> how laws worked! This was just <em>his anxiety</em> talking! He was being <em>irrational</em>! His feelings were<em> a mess</em> and so were his thoughts.</p><p>Lukas just wanted to disappear as soon as possible. Yet, he turned back, facing the crowd of people again. The directors were staring at him with a look the student couldn’t recognize. His anxiousness intensified even more. <em>Oh great</em>, even more things to get scared about. He only waited, feeling like he was waiting to be given a death sentence. Finally, after what felt hours to Lukas, the Conductor started talking again:</p><p>-“Did you…” he paused, glancing between Grooves and the young man with a mix of confusion and curiosity on his face. It was strange not to see a negative expression on the director’s face. Seeing how the Conductor was looking for his words, Grooves took the reins of the discussion, though very much confused and curious as well:</p><p>-“Is <em>that</em> your real laugh, darling?” was the question the DJ asked him.</p><p>Lukas was <em>mortified</em>. He was only able to nod slightly, absolutely unmoving. In the corner of his vision, he saw MJ getting up, throwing the cables away from him furiously. When the latter looked up and met the student's eyes, there was definitely hatred in there. Yet, there was <em>something else</em>. And when the other started to smile, Lukas understood that he had been right: the actor would <em>never </em>let him forget what happened today.</p><p>He was so<em> screwed</em>.</p><p>The directors looked at each other, then glanced between Lukas and MJ. Wait, <em>why</em> were they staring at him too? The student felt like he had missed something, something <em>huge</em>. And when Grooves opened his mouth again, the young man was dumbfounded:</p><p>-“How about you got your chance at an audition?”</p><p>The word “<em>astonishment</em>” was clearly not strong enough to express Lukas’s state of mind at that particular moment. <em>What</em>?</p><p>-“I’m… I’m sorry?” he wondered aloud, certain he must have misunderstood something. There couldn’t be <em>any</em> possible way that he had been asked to try auditioning!</p><p>Grooves was about to answer but another voice interrupted him: MJ.</p><p>-“Are you <em>kidding</em> me?!” yelled the actor, both furious and confused: “He’s a<em> student</em>! He knows <em>nothing</em> about acting! What role would you give him anyway? <em>A fucking tree in the background</em>? Hah!”</p><p>MJ scoffed at his own joke, glaring both at the directors and the student in a superior way, as if he knew that he had always been right all along. But then, the Conductor answered his question, absolutely blowing MJ’s mind, just as Lukas’s.</p><p>-“We’re going to give him <em>yours</em>, you peck neck <em>diva</em>.”</p><p>Lukas felt the world turning around him. This was all a dream, right? This couldn’t be possibly happening! He was going to wake up and laugh at his stupid dream, and start his day as if nothing had happened! Because that could only be the case, right? <em>This couldn’t be real</em>!</p><p>But MJ’s scream, on the contrary, <em>was very much real</em>:</p><p>-“<strong><em>What</em></strong>?!” the actor’s voice resonated in all the room: “You’re going to do <strong><em>what</em></strong>?!” His intonation was loud and deadly serious.</p><p>Grooves was the one to reply, darkly, glaring at the young actor through his star-shaped glasses:</p><p>-“You <em>heard</em> us, darling,” was all the DJ had to say to shut MJ up.</p><p>A few moments passed where the latter stayed motionless, shaking from the rage he was trying to contain. In the other side of the room, Mike was watching his twin with extreme worry. And then, the <em>bomb</em> exploded. MJ screamed and stomped to the door, knocking all the shooting equipment on his way out, still screaming all while he did so. All the other stagehands could only stare in bewilderment, not knowing what to do. But before anyone could try to stop him, the actor stormed out and slammed the door behind him. Mike soon followed him, though it was easy to tell from his face that it wasn’t the first time something like that happened.</p><p>Lukas, on the other hand, remained unable to move, completely swamped by the events. It is only when he felt a tap on his shoulders that he came back to reality. He turned back, his face extremely pale. His eyes widened when they met Grooves’s ones. The latter was handing him a script, which the student stared, astonished.</p><p>-“We still have an audition to finish, darling. Why don’t you come help us to take it up again?”</p><p><em>This couldn’t be real</em>. This couldn’t possibly be real!</p><p>But then, the student’s hand mindlessly grabbed the script and, when his fingers felt the soft surface of the paper against his skin… He knew that he was very well awake.</p><p>How did he get himself into such a situation…?</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Welp, what a day for Lukas, right?<br/>And that's when MJ's true hatred for Lukas starts :)</p><p>See you on the next chapter ! Stay safe everyone !</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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